This application claims the priority of 198 44 275.0, filed Sep. 26, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a locking device for a selector that can be used, for example, for locking a selector lever in vehicles.
The latching forces to be transmitted by latching elements can reach comparatively high values, because the selector lever is latched with the aid of the latching element to prevent misuse and possibly even vehicle theft. Thus, for example, with a latching force of 300 N on the selector lever, forces in the vicinity of 1500 N are developed on the latching element. It is already known from DE 196 41 706 C1, for example, that a solenoid provided with a return spring can engage a latching cam integral with a housing with a latching link fastened to the selector lever in order to latch the selector lever.
In addition, a locking device for a selector lever is described in EP 0 519 208 A1, in which a locking member mounted on the selector lever can be engaged at specified selector lever positions by depressions in a latching element, in this known embodiment a rotatable pawl. An angular lever mounted integrally with a housing is provided for moving the pawl. One end of the lever is connected with a solenoid and the other end has a roller abutting the pawl. The flanks of the depression are made steep to produce an engaging force on the selector lever with the selector lever latched, with only a small force component in the rotational direction of the pawl. Thereby these forces can easily be supported on a housing by the angular lever. In the ideal case, the solenoid does not have to accept any latching forces at all, but in any event only slight latching forces. Its principal task consists in bringing the angular lever into and out of engagement with the pawl, and this must be possible even when the selector lever is subjected to a force.